Just back from a brilliant long weekend in Islay and Jura.
Accommodation
We stayed in the lovely an taigh-osda (literally 'The Hotel') in Bruichladdich. It's just opened but already feels like a well-established...establishment.
Owners Paul and Joan know Islay really well (Paul's an Islay native) and they've completely renovated the building, making a beautiful but comfortable hotel with stunning views over Lochindaal.
* Update 20/08 *
Thanks for your comment, Ron - yes, first one on my new blog :-)
Things we did - Bruichladdich Distillery
Our hotel was such a short distance away from the Bruichladdich Distillery we went there on our first day as soon as we'd checked in.
We were on the lookout for its web cams - hubby had checked one of them out the week before our trip and seen an elderly gentleman meander along to the rocks on the shore with his shopping bag, gaze out at the loch and stop a while. Half an hour later, he checks the web cam again - the gent's still there, relaxing (and yes, the image had updated). Something told us we'd enjoy Islay's relaxed pace of life.
The tour of the distillery was done by Mary, a character and a half who was born in Bruichladdich. She was full of fun and stories and by the end of the tour had gathered biographies from most of the group - "Hope your foot's better soon", "Good luck for the marathon tomorrow", etc. The tour was similar to a few others we had been on but did feel more personal. Maybe the fact that it's still independent, but also there were nice quirky touches - a converted milk lorry to transport the whisky around the site, no computers to run the manufacturing side, staff members featuring on the whisky packaging. Plus we got a sneaky peak at the thousands of casks sleeping peacefully side by side and waiting for their lucky owners to wake them...
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